Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi sues Pauline Hanson over ‘insulting and humiliating’ tweet

The deputy Greens leader has launched legal action over an “insulting and humiliating” tweet One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made last year.

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi has launched legal action against One Nation leader Pauline Hanson over an “insulting and humiliating tweet” she made last year.

The Greens senator claims Senator Hanson violated section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act when she told her to “piss off back to Pakistan” after Senator Faruqi shared her republican views in a tweet.

Section 18C makes it unlawful to offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate another person or group.

Senator Faruqi’s lawyers argue Senator Hanson’s tweet “did offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate” their client and “other people who share attributes” with her.

Mehreen Faruqi said Pauline Hanson did insult her. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Her team have asked for the tweet to be deleted, and replaced with a pinned post on Senator Hanson’s Twitter for three months stating she “committed unlawful offensive behaviour”.

The lawyers are also requesting the court order Senator Hanson pay $150,000 to a charity chosen by Senator Faruqi, as well as ordering the One Nation leader attend anti-racism training.

Senator Faruqi said she was “drawing a line in the sand”.

“I’ve taken on bullies my whole life,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I believe that if you have the power to make positive change, you should use it for the benefit of the community.

“Senator Hanson cannot keep insulting and humiliating us without any serious consequences.”